I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

A teahouse capable of accommodating such a prominent figure as "Gion's First Geisha" is certainly not a small, insignificant establishment.

Excellent building materials, elegant decoration style, and the enticing aroma of food and wine that you can smell even before you enter.

Qingdeng pushed open the shop door, and noise and heat burst out.

The receptionist had just looked up when Qing Deng rushed forward and abruptly asked:

Is Miss Ziyang here?

Qingdeng's quick wit startled the other person, who stammered in response:

"Yes, yes."

He quickly added as soon as he said it:

"Miss Ziyang is working!"

He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and carefully continued:

"Miss Ziyang's guest tonight... is a Samoan!"

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow.

"Samoans?"

Nodding with his hand as if pounding garlic:

"Yes! Although we're not entirely sure about the identities of those Satsuma people, judging from their attire, they must be influential figures within the Satsuma Domain. So, if you need to speak with Miss Shiyo, it's best to wait until she's finished with her work. Otherwise, things will be very difficult for us..."

Although Teshiro phrased it tactfully, his meaning was quite clear: if you don't want to suffer, don't bother them!

He gave this warning because the Samoans are notoriously difficult to deal with.

Satsuma is located in a remote, remote area on the outskirts of Kyushu Island, where the living environment is harsh.

It's truly difficult to describe the fierce temperament of the Samoan people, who grow up in this vibrant land where "everything thrives."

Let's put it this way: Satsuma has what's known as "Yarokai" (or "Yaro Society").

The young man was hosting a banquet, and a rope hanging from the ceiling was suspended in the center of the banquet, with a matchlock gun tied horizontally to it, the muzzle pointed at the chests of the guests.

In the midst of their revelry, they would light the matchlock on their rifles and make it spin.

When the match cord burns out and the flame spreads to the firebox, the rifle will fire the bullet with a "whoosh".

It's impossible to predict who it will hit.

But everyone continued drinking without changing their expressions. Those who panicked were scorned by the others, making it a Samoan version of "Russian Roulette."

The "Wild Man Meeting" was a test of courage.

Playing with human lives... This shows that the Samoans are all in cahoots.

After listening to Teshiro's careful reminder, Aoto tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a calm smile.

"Don't worry, I'm not a barbarian who doesn't know the rules and boundaries. I never intended to disturb Miss Ziyang's work from the beginning. Since Miss Ziyang is busy, I'll just wait patiently."

After saying that, he took half a step to the side, stood near the front desk, crossed his arms, leaned against the wall, and waited quietly without saying a word.

Seeing that Qingdeng was so cooperative, Shoudai breathed a sigh of relief and then went back to doing his own thing.

Qing Deng gazed into the void before him, his mind drifting to the distance… or more precisely, to Edo in the east…

—Samoa…

When Samoa is mentioned, Qing Deng can't help but recall the only Samoan he knows.

The voluptuous figure of that pretty widow gradually emerged in his mind, becoming clearer and clearer.

—I wonder how His Highness Tenshōin is doing now…

Upon closer inspection, he realized that he and Tenshōin had not seen each other for more than a month—this was the first time they had been separated for such a long time since he had known Tenshōin.

Strangely enough, even though it's only been a little over a month, which isn't a very long time apart, Qingdeng now finds himself inexplicably missing the other person.

Before her formal marriage to Edo, Tenshōin underwent rigorous "etiquette training" under a renowned teacher. She systematically learned the speech of upper-class people, the behavioral norms of the inner palace, corrected her rustic accent, and changed her accent to the standard Edo dialect.

Although Tenshōin no longer speaks with any Satsuma accent, she still occasionally utters a few words of Satsuma dialect when she gets emotional.

For example, "Jigoro" (country bumpkin), and "Tachi gaimae" (don't be slow) – especially "Tachi gaimae".

At Tenshōin's warm invitation, Seidō would often accompany her to play Go and Sugoroku.

Whenever he hesitated in placing a piece, she would triumphantly shout, "Tachi, come forth!"

And so, under her constant exposure, Qingdeng learned a lot of Samoan.

Satsuma dialect is to Japanese what Wenzhou dialect is to Chinese.

The two are completely different language systems, and they have absolutely no similarities whatsoever!

To a Japanese person who has never learned Satsuma, Satsuma is no different from foreign languages ​​such as English, French, and Russian—since they can't understand any of them anyway.

Besides occasionally throwing in Satsuma dialect, Tenshōin also loved to introduce the local customs and culture of her hometown to Seito.

Every time she talks about her "Samoan past," a faint sense of melancholy appears on her face.

"Your Highness, do you miss Samo?"—Qingdeng asked this question one day.

Upon hearing this question, Tenshōin paused for a moment, then said softly with a helpless expression:

“Samo is where I was born and raised, of course I miss my hometown, but… there’s no use missing it. From the moment I sat in the sedan chair for my arranged marriage, I never had the chance to return home again…”

Perhaps it was because the forlorn expression on Tenshōin's face after he said those words that left such a deep impression on Aōdō.

So even today, whenever he hears others talk about Satsuma, he can't help but think of Tenshōin, and of her heartbroken and sorrowful appearance that day...

Just then—

Bang bang bang!

Suddenly, Qingdeng heard strange noises coming from the ceiling above him, such as "thump thump thump" and "bang bang bang".

"..."

Qingdeng's brows furrowed instantly.

As a swordsman who spends his life in battle, he was naturally familiar with this sound—the sound of fists and legs landing heavily on the soft flesh of a human.

Qingdeng raised his head and looked up at the ceiling.

At the same time, a new, strange sound came—"Ahhhhh!"—this time, it was a woman's scream.

"..."

Following his furrowed brows, Qingdeng's facial features hardened, and his expression became solemn.

Others may not have heard it clearly, but Qingdeng, with the blessing of his talent "Sensor of the Wind +1", has already confirmed that it is a woman's cry.

Moreover, he recognized the owner of the female voice.

"Miss Ziyang..."

Qingdeng strode towards the staircase leading upstairs, which was not far away.

At the same time, his right hand reached for the Vairocana sword at his waist, gripping the knife in his hand!

*******

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Following Tosa, Aoto is now going to clash with the Satsuma forces.

P.S.: Dear readers! Please recommend games with a "female ninja" theme or elements to Leopard! Don't get me wrong, Leopard just wants to gather material and inspiration for the plot.

Chapter 615 Qingdeng, you're timing your rescue again, aren't you? [4500]

Gion, Hirataya, top floor, the most luxurious room—

The musician, holding a shamisen, played the piece with practiced ease.

Right in front of her, a young geisha and a burly guest stood on either side of an exquisite screen, playing a classic game: "Tiger Tiger".

The so-called "Tiger Tiger" is one of the most popular banquet games that geisha often play with their guests.

The basic gameplay involves guests and geishas standing on opposite sides of a screen, while a musician begins to play and sing.

During this time, guests and geishas on both sides of the screen pose in any one of three ways: "a warrior holding a spear", "a tiger pouncing on its prey", or "an old lady with one hand on a cane and the other behind her back".

When the musician sang "Tiger, tiger, tiger, tiger," the two men held their poses and stepped out from behind the screen together.

The winner is determined by the rule that "the tiger beats the old lady," "the old lady beats the general," and "the general beats the tiger."

Let's just call it an upgraded version of "rock, paper, scissors".

Because the gameplay is very simple and easy to create a lively atmosphere, this game has always been widely popular and enduring.

"Tiger, tiger, tiger, tiger..."

The musician suddenly increased the speed of his plectrum, chanting "Tiger, Tiger" rapidly.

At the same time, the geisha and the guests, who were standing on either side of the screen, maintained their respective postures and walked out together.

The geisha was posing as a "warrior holding a spear," while the guests were posing as "tigers lying on the ground."

"Hahaha, I won!"

The geisha clapped her hands, jumped around on the spot, and laughed joyfully.

The customer touched his head, which looked exceptionally shiny due to his shaved head, and smiled sheepishly.

"Tsk...I lost again...@%&$￥...!"

Suddenly, the guest blurted out a Samoan phrase—though I couldn't understand it, it sounded like a swear word—and abruptly jumped up, kicking away the screen that had just been used for playing games.

The sudden turn of events startled everyone present.

The musicians stopped playing, and the room became completely silent.

The geisha who had just played "Tiger Tiger" with him was now terrified, her face turning pale. Even with thick white powder on her face, one could clearly see how horrible her expression was.

At this moment, a young samurai sitting not far away—his skin was dark and his features fierce—calmly put down his wine cup and said indifferently:

"Lord Godai, you've had too much to drink. Please sit down."